The Railways Football and Sporting Club has launched a bold fundraising campaign to complete the remodeling of its clubhouse in Albany.
The club, founded in 1946, has publicly asked for the final $500,000 needed to renovate its old, dilapidated facility.
The Tigers are willing to “sell their soul” and are holding a prize draw to give one bettor anywhere in Australia the chance to name their home stadium for a year.
The main prize of the raffle is the naming rights of the soon-to-be renovated facility for the entire year 2025.
Club president Wayne Stubber said there were plenty of weird, wonderful and crazy ideas for naming the venue.
“We wanted something extraordinary, an idea that would grab people’s attention,” Stubber said.
“It’s a unique idea that people are talking about… People can name it after their favorite beer, their dog, or even their nickname.
“The tickets are subject to conditions and the name must be approved by the Railway Board, but we hope to find a great winner.”
Initial construction work began in July 2023 and the first phase is scheduled to be completed by December of this year.
However, Mr Stubber said the cost of the project – which will include new changing rooms and facilities to allow access for all – had risen to nearly $2 million from original estimates.
“Originally it was a $1.3 million project, now we estimate it to be about $1.8 million,” he said.
“The timing was not ideal when we first drafted our plans, then COVID came and the funding was denied. Plus, there was no federal funding at the time.
“Given the increasing costs over time, this is exactly the money we are looking for.”
The first phase was funded with financial support from the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, the City of Albany and Country Football WA and this latest push is designed to complete the second phase.
The Country Sports Club refuses to give up the fight and is resorting to an unusual and creative method to obtain a finished facility that can serve the entire community for the next 50 years.
The venue is home to women’s and men’s soccer clubs, cricket, netball and basketball clubs and a base for the Albany Caledonian Football Club.
The raffle was launched last week with the help of a YouTube video and almost 900 tickets have already been sold.
Tickets cost $25 each and first prize includes flights and accommodation in Albany so the winner can attend a Railways football game of their choice.
The person who wins second prize will get to name the bar in the facility for the year 2025 and the third prize is $1,000.
Mr Stubber said his club had been overwhelmed by the support in a short space of time.
“We didn’t think it would get this much traction, but it’s being shared so much on social media, which is great,” Stubber said.
“If we can raise $100,000 from this raffle, we would be thrilled and anything over that is a bonus.
“We particularly encourage local businesses to get involved. It’s a great opportunity for them to have their name and logo there for 12 months.”
Tickets for the raffle can be purchased at https://app.galabid.com/railways/items/9f677218-5d1f-441f-bb3b-458bc9ffd099.